Meanwhile, in the Unflagging March to Police State Status...

[OldCoyote]

I will be sure to remember that.

[mroped]

Jul 16, 2016 7:54:16 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

mroped, I don't recall what country you were born in, but I have a friend from Czechoslovakia, Born there under Communist rule.

If there was a political discussion against that government,

they would stack pillow over the phone because they thought that the government listened to their conversations even if the phone was hung up,

They would also pull all the shades down!  Their fear was well warranted, was it not??

So you have no problem with your present government tracking your every move?

Truth to be told, there was government surveillance all over in communism and for the most part was just harmless.
There were some things like they knew that you were unemployed, they'd come and tell you " you have 15 days to get a job. After that, WE( the government) will find you one.
That kind of surveillance!

As far far as covering the phone with pillows and such...well let's just say that there is crazy all over, not just here.
Never heard of that one!

[tallguy]

Jul 16, 2016 18:35:02 GMT -5 mroped said:

Jul 16, 2016 7:54:16 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

mroped, I don't recall what country you were born in, but I have a friend from Czechoslovakia, Born there under Communist rule.

If there was a political discussion against that government,

they would stack pillow over the phone because they thought that the government listened to their conversations even if the phone was hung up,

They would also pull all the shades down!  Their fear was well warranted, was it not??

So you have no problem with your present government tracking your every move?

Truth to be told, there was government surveillance all over in communism and for the most part was just harmless.
There were some things like they knew that you were unemployed, they'd come and tell you " you have 15 days to get a job. After that, WE( the government) will find you one.
That kind of surveillance!

As far far as covering the phone with pillows and such...well let's just say that there is crazy all over, not just here.
Never heard of that one!

Of course it's crazy.  Weren't they much more likely to plant bugs in the light fixtures?    

[mroped]

There weren't enough funds for bugs in the light fixtures and that's why they were resorting to "enlist" the help of every old lady in town.
Bugs were reserved for important people not for peasants like myself!

[tallguy]

Well, damn Hollywood for getting it wrong!   

[billisonboard]

[Virgil Showlion]

"If society fits you comfortably enough, you call it freedom."
   — Robert Frost

Eventually even the most flippant posters here will start to get uncomfortable.

[tallguy]

Even if that were the case, it would bother me very little in my current life.  I am a solitary person by nature, so don't require a lot of interaction.  My family consists of my son and myself, and we do not have to communicate electronically.  I only work two days a week, and don't really have to do that much.  I don't have to be online at all, basically, and I rarely use a phone.  I can spend my time riding my bike, exploring new places, working on my house and yard, laying on the beach, going to museums or the zoo, etc.  The only thing that would really be a problem for me is if they screwed with my banking and finances.  

Could other people be exploited?  Probably, but that's on them.  Either way, I find the chance of any real impact on my life from the exploitation of anyone's privacy rights to be almost negligible.  And I would be in far more danger from a hacker than from government.  I am not a threat to government.  Again though, if you are really that concerned, don't vote for conservatives who will jump at the chance to give away your rights.

Do I think the issue is important?  Yes.  Do I think government should have that much power?  No.  Will I be impacted at all if they do?  Highly unlikely.  Forgive me for not being concerned about YOUR concerns....    

[Virgil Showlion]

Fair enough. But I think you'll find that the government exploiting other Americans' privacy is going to affect you more than you think it will.

[Ombud]

Jul 16, 2016 18:35:02 GMT -5 mroped said:

Jul 16, 2016 7:54:16 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

mroped, I don't recall what country you were born in, but I have a friend from Czechoslovakia, Born there under Communist rule.

If there was a political discussion against that government,

they would stack pillow over the phone because they thought that the government listened to their conversations even if the phone was hung up,

They would also pull all the shades down!  Their fear was well warranted, was it not??

So you have no problem with your present government tracking your every move?

Truth to be told, there was government surveillance all over in communism and for the most part was just harmless.
There were some things like they knew that you were unemployed, they'd come and tell you " you have 15 days to get a job. After that, WE( the government) will find you one.
That kind of surveillance!

As far far as covering the phone with pillows and such...well let's just say that there is crazy all over, not just here.
Never heard of that one!

Did the Internet and chat rooms exist then? Think not

[tallguy]

Jul 17, 2016 13:14:54 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Fair enough. But I think you'll find that the government exploiting other Americans' privacy is going to affect you more than you think it will.

Well, I figure that with your apparent affection for paranoid, conspiracy-theorist websites that I can rely on you to worry enough for both of us.    

[mroped]

Internet?!
You kidding? The information is moving too slow on the wire! Old ladies gossip moves faster than the speed of light!

Comunism started colapsing in the mid to late 80s so no, there was no internet. I believe that in the town that I grew up in there were maybe 2-3 phone lines: one at the headquarters of the Cooperative Farms, possibly one in the Post Office which was no bigger than 15'x15' and maybe, maybe one at the Comunal Dispensary. The school didn't have one! Granted, the school was running only up to 8th grade and maybe 300 kids.
There was just one General Store with a restaurant attached to it( separated by a wall only) and no Police Station or Fire Company.

If you wanted to make a phone call you either walked to the Cooperative Farm or you went to the city.
Town of about 2000-2500 maybe? People knew each other or at least knew what family you're from so was quite easy to keep track of your deeds!

[OldCoyote]

Jul 16, 2016 18:35:02 GMT -5 mroped said:

Jul 16, 2016 7:54:16 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

mroped, I don't recall what country you were born in, but I have a friend from Czechoslovakia, Born there under Communist rule.

If there was a political discussion against that government,

they would stack pillow over the phone because they thought that the government listened to their conversations even if the phone was hung up,

They would also pull all the shades down!  Their fear was well warranted, was it not??

So you have no problem with your present government tracking your every move?

Truth to be told, there was government surveillance all over in communism and for the most part was just harmless.
There were some things like they knew that you were unemployed, they'd come and tell you " you have 15 days to get a job. After that, WE( the government) will find you one.
That kind of surveillance!

As far far as covering the phone with pillows and such...well let's just say that there is crazy all over, not just here.
Never heard of that one!

That was not how my friend described it,  They crossed into Germany knowing that they would never see their friends or family again!

[mroped]

If you were leaving durring communism, hat was a given not to see anybody ever again.
And each country pushed the limits of surveillance and control to different limits for different reasons.
Its just that we didn't care much about those listening in. The real things were said in private, face to face not over the phone.